S7 E10 Adrift and at Peace

12/02/10 | TV-14 | CC

Cristina is going fishing with Derek. Now, we all know fishing makes sense when it comes to an extremely outdoorsy neurosurgeon like Derek. But Cristina? As Meredith points out, there are no bathrooms on a lake. Seriously, what’s next? Bowling with Bailey?!

Now, it’s important to keep the noise to a minimum while fishing. That’s not easy while out on the water with a chatty ex-surgeon. Cristina does pipe down long enough to reel in a 28-pound trout! She’s psyched at first but soon realizes that standing on a dock holding a big fish in her hands is not where she’s supposed to be. Derek has a picture taken to serve as a little reminder of this.

Meredith and Owen treat a couple who fell a hundred feet into a ravine. The woman has only minor injuries because her husband broke her fall. The guy is rushed into surgery to control massive internal bleeding. The differences Owen and Meredith have over what to do about Cristina spill into the OR. The patient survives the touch-and-go procedure but Owen boots Meredith from the room before they close him up.

There’s a post-operative war of words between Meredith and Owen. She thinks Owen let Cristina completely fall apart. He thinks Meredith is reckless. He says, “You are fearless and I don’t mean that in a good way.” Owen adds, “She isn’t you, Meredith.” He may be right. After all, we don’t think Mer would put a picture of herself crying while holding a giant trout on the fridge like Cristina does.

Bailey has been looking for a way to eliminate fistulas for some time now. A fistula, BTW, is an abnormal connection between organs, intestines and/or other structures that sometimes occurs after surgery. Bailey challenges a few of our favorite docs to develop a protocol that leads to the fewest post-op complications. The winner gets to pull a gall bladder out through a patient’s mouth. Score!

Lexie, Jackson and April battle it out to get that prestigious gall bladder prize. April does a little trash talking and Lexie pushes a little too hard for procedures that wouldn’t be in the patient’s best interest. Eli, the nurse in the intensive care unit, lets her know this. Lexie asks Mark to help her get what she wants from Eli. He’ll try, but only if she meets him later for a drink. Deal!

Later, Lexie gets Bailey involved in her battle with Eli. But the nurse’s record for keeping post-op complications at a minimum is beyond compare. He often disregards procedure to do what’s best for his patients. And one of his practices reduces the rate of fistula. This thrills Bailey. But we’re wondering if she’s even more jazzed about the fact that the handsome nurse asked her out on a date!

Teddy meets Henry (guest star Scott Foley), a dying man who doesn’t have the insurance he needs for continued treatment. She convinces the Chief to set up a meeting with the review board to keep the guy around Seattle Grace. But the powers that be won’t bend.

Henry can still be treated at the clinic but that won’t be enough to truly help him. So, Teddy offers to marry him. You heard us. She wants to marry the guy so he can get on her insurance plan. It’s unbelievable. It’s absurd. And, as a doctor, it’s the only way Teddy can save this particular patient. So, it’s also pretty darn heroic.

Callie and Alex treat a man who needs a new hip. The guy and his wife hem and haw about whether or not they should let Callie operate. This inspires her and Alex to have a little fun with them. A few mind games later, the guy is in Callie’s OR as she offers to mentor Alex. That could be cool but eventually Alex opts to go back to the annoying Dr. Stark. This leaves Callie feeling dumped all over again.

At the end of the day, Lexie keeps her word and meets Mark for a drink. But they end up kissing before she can place an order. Back home, Callie thinks Mark forgot his keys when she hears a knock on the door. She opens it to see a teary-eyed Arizona on the other side. She left Africa to come back to her girlfriend. Better make that ex-girlfriend, as Callie closes the door leaving Arizona on the other side. Wow.